Brisbane Broncos vs South Sydney Rabbitohs – Thursday night – Suncorp Stadium

Two sides returning from the Las Vegas trip with a loss - neither club will want to start the season with two losses, but particularly the Broncos in front of what should be a large home crowd by Thursday night standards. Piakura returns in the back row for the Broncos while the Bunnies have lost Jai Arrow, and potentially for some time. Shaquai Mitchell replaces Jacob Host on the bench. Jack Wighton has one more week to serve on his suspension. It's been a big week for Ezra Mam and I expect the Broncos to get around him and put a smile on his face. If both teams play to their potential, it could be the game of the round. If the Broncos play to their potential, they should be too good. 

Verdict – Broncos by 7

Result – Broncos 28 defeated Rabbitohs 18

Cronulla Sharks vs Canterbury Bulldogs – Friday night – PointsBet Stadium

I don't give the Sharks a lot of credit very often, but I do have to give them a pat on the back this week. They're a team that generally struggle against top eight teams, but will usually do enough to make the top eight each year on the back of favourable draws and their consistency. Last week they took on what most of us would call a top eight team, in another country at a sold out venue, and they won. They also had to guts it out, because after 30 minutes everything was pointing to a loss. So well done, Sharkies. No major changes to the side from round one, althought Toby Rudolph has moved into the starting thirteen. I don't want to say I was disappointed with the Bulldogs last week. I'd give their effort against the Eels a pass mark, but they weren't as sharp in attack as I had hoped. All those team changes are going to take a while to come together after all. A visit to Shark Park at night is a tough assignment for most, and it doesn't look like the Dogs are quite up to that yet.

Verdict – Sharks by 8

Result – Sharks 25 defeated Bulldogs 6

Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels – Friday night – BlueBet Stadium

No changes for the Eels who were strong against the Bulldogs in round one. Moses struggled through that effort with a niggly groin and has been named again. It's hardly ideal, and it clearly hampered his kicking game which is fair chunk of his arsenal. A few welcome inclusions for the Panthers, with Scott Sorenson and Mitch Kenny bolstering their pack. The Panthers haven't scored a point in two hours, the second half of the World Club Challenge and through 80 minutes against the Storm. It's a concern, but there's nothing wrong with their defence. The attack will come, sooner or later. The Eels are one of very few teams with an enviable recent record over the Panthers, and they have to be given a genuine chance here. That said, the Panthers have won 10 of their last 11 at home, and you'd expect them to be on song for their first game at Penrith this year.

Verdict – Panthers by 7

Result – Panthers 26 defeated Eels 18

Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers – Saturday afternon – GIO Stadium

Almost everyone was worried about the Raiders attack this season, and how they would go about scoring points. In round one, they offered more in attack than just about everyone. Whether that was a blip or a reality is hard to say. Needless to say there impressive in a victory that not one of us predicted, and there's no reason to argue they can't replicate something similar on Saturday. This game is game number one in what I hope is a long coaching career for Benji Marshall. He was a terrific footballer and he's a terrific person - fingers crossed he can be a terrific coach. He's starting with an untested halves pairing of Galvin and Sullivan, with former Raider Aidan Sezer on the interchange. That could take some time, but I would have said the same about the Raiders spine of Levi, Fogarty and Strange. This could be closer than most are expecting, but I have to tip the Raiders at home.

Verdict – Raiders by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Raiders 32 defeated Tigers 12

North Queensland Cowboys vs Newcastle Knights – Saturday afternoon – Queensland Country Bank Stadium

It's been hot, yes? I think it's been hot. I've been up to Townsville twice over the summer months, and it's definitely hot up there. On Saturday, Townsville is likely to top out at around 32 degrees and it won't get below the mid 20s overnight. The Knights have been given the visitors draw with a 4.30pm kickoff, so it will be in the high 20s (at least) when they take to the field. The heat won't stop the Knights, but I think the humidity will. Given they conceded three tries in the last 20 minutes against the Raiders last week, I'm anticipating a similar finish here. In fact, it could be uglier than that. No changes to the Cowboys side that racked up 43 points in round one. And a note to Billy Slater - might be worth checking out if Zac Laybutt wants to represent Queensland or PNG. A star in the making.

Verdict – Cowboys by 18

​​​​​​​Result – Cowboys 21 defeated Knights 20

Melbourne Storm vs New Zealand Warriors – Saturday night – AAMI Park

There were plenty of standout performers from the Storm in their round one defeat of the defending premiers, but allow me to highlight the performance of Josh King. He's something of a throwback to the forwards we know and love from rugby league in the 1980s. But he's clearly faster than he looks, and he has an engine, and he didn't miss a tackle in round one. Much of what he did won't get picked up in stats and hard earned indexes, but he was awesome, and I'm sure Craig Bellamy saw it too. Kamikamica has also stepped up and seems willing and ready to take on the role of a starting prop. I mention these two specifically, as Big Nelson won't be returning this week (likely round three). The Warriors extended bench is loaded with quality (Harris-Tevita, Tevaga, Martin, Leiataua, Pompey) but none are expected in the seventeen on Saturday. It's been ten years since the Warriors have won a game at AAMI Park and, to butcher a phrase from Spinal Tap, it looks like the streak goes all the way up to 11.

Verdict – Storm by 8

​​​​​​​Result – Storm 30 defeated Warriors 26

Manly Sea Eagles vs Sydney Roosters – Sunday afternoon – 4 Pines Park

The two teams that lost in Vegas square off on Thursday night, and the two teams that won in Vegas do the same on Sunday afternoon. Both were impressive, but the Roosters impressed slightly more. I'm assuming that a win over the Broncos (who nearly won the grand final last year) is stronger form than a win over a team that missed the top eight (Rabbitohs). The Chooks stood tall, and perhaps the tallest were Tedesco and Manu. If those two are playing like that, this Roosters backline is the best backline in the NRL. Dominic Young gets added to that backline on Sunday, which likely makes them stronger. Spencer Leniu won't be lacing on boots until round 10 following his much-publicised suspension, but the Chooks welcome back Waerea-Hargreaves for game number 299 in what will be his last season in the NRL. Brookvale will be packed to the gills and Manly can win this, but I'm with the Chooks who might have a roster that can win a premiership this season. It's the game of the round.

Verdict – Roosters by 4

​​​​​​​Result – Sea Eagles 21 defeated Roosters 14

Redcliffe Dolphins vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Sunday afternoon – Kayo Stadium

I'll admit to being disappointed with the Dolphins last week. A few things didn't go their way and a few had games they would prefer to forget, but there's no escaping the scoreboard. We shouldn't be writing them off on the back of one performance though, and right now we don't know how good the Cowboys are (who might be in for a very good year). Coach Bennett has made changes, which is hardly surprising. Averillo makes his debut in the centres which pleases me, and Katoa returns at halfback which pleases me even more. Their bench is full of forwards, so the Dolphins will need to get creative if they lose a player in the backline to injury, HIA, sin bin etc. I assume Max Plath is as versatile as his father and will have to slot in somewhere. The Dragons were, and I haven't had a chance to say this for quite some time, very very good. They look fit and fast. The Dolphins pack isn't getting any younger, and keeping up with a fit, fast opposition might be beyond them. Mind you, the Dolphins will give their all on the peninsula on Sunday. A competitive affair, but:

Verdict – Dragons by 8

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Result – Dolphins 38 defeated Dragons 0

Wally Lewis - round two selections (in bold)

Note: tips from Wally will be published on Wednesday night or Thursday morning

• BRONCOS vs Rabbitohs
• SHARKS vs Bulldogs 
• PANTHERS vs Eels
• RAIDERS vs Tigers
• COWBOYS vs Knights
• STORM vs Warriors
• Sea Eagles vs ROOSTERS
• DOLPHINS vs Dragons